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As you glance at the IPL statistics page, you are sure to be deceived by the impressive figures of the overseas players. The Orange Cap, the Purple Cap and various other accolades that IPL offers have been swapped by overseas cricketers. However, this presents only a fragment of the broad picture of how the foreigners fared in the current season. Undoubtedly, there were swashbuckling performances by the likes of Chris Gayle, Mike Hussey, Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner, but there were a number of flops as well. Here are the top five overseas players who flattered to deceive.
Morne Morkel (Delhi Daredevils)
Much had been anticipated from the Purple Cap holder of the previous season, but he disappointed big time. With 57 runs and 7 wickets, Morkel was far below expectations, and his average and economy were not impressive either. As an imposing fast bowler, Morkel was slated to spearhead Delhi’s bowling attack, which didn’t happen by any means. And his failure to deliver cost Delhi dearly, and at the end of the season, they found themselves lingering at the bottom of the table. Coming off such a successful season, Morkel’s was certainly the most disappointing performance this year.
Kumar Sangakkara (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Problems were galore for the Sunrisers’ batsmen as their skipper went through poor form. A lack of big names in the Sunrisers squad emphasised the duty (or burden) that rested on Sangakkara’s shoulders. He was an important part of the XI and had to carry out the bulk of the responsibility, but the prolific wicketkeeper-batsman found it difficult to keep going against the sub-standard IPL bowling, and could accumulate only a paltry 120 runs in nine matches with an average of just above 13. He clearly looked at bay against KKR, CSK and DD as a consequence of which, he dropped himself in the middle part of the tournament, only to come back and disappoint once more towards the end.
Ricky Ponting (Mumbai Indians)
Every cricket aficionado had leaped in joy at the prospect of watching two legends opening the batting for the Mumbai Indians. Sharing the 22 yards with the man who is worshipped as God in his country, Ricky Ponting would’ve certainly delighted Mumbaikars with his classic cuts and straight drives. But alas! Having retired from international cricket, Punter failed to get back his touch as only 52 runs came from the skipper’s bat before he sidelined himself in the best interests of the team. Rohit Sharma eventually led the team to their first IPL title, but one is bound to feel sad for the legendary Australian who failed to find his rhythm in this T20 event.
Mahela Jayawardene (Delhi Daredevils)
The Delhi outfit was clearly having a nightmarish outing as their batsmen seemed clueless against each and every opponent. After Sanga, Jayawardene was another prolific Sri Lankan captaining his side and failing to find the momentum. Delhi had high hopes from Mahela Jayawardene, whose traditional drives and sweeps had won them nail-biting matches in the previous seasons. As it turned out – rather unfortunately for the Daredevils – their skipper failed to get back his rhythm and could manage only single-figure scores in the initial matches. The two half-centuries rendered some decency to his runs tally and he finished the season with 331 runs at an average of 22.06 and a poor strike-rate 105.75. That he hit only 3 sixes in the entire tournament gives you a picture of how terribly he struggled. And as is very apparent, Delhi was hit hard by his form (or rather, the lack of it).
Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors India)
Graduating to the skipper’s spot for the Pune outfit, the lanky Sri Lankan all-rounder had his task cut out before him. But he failed to find rhythm and his inconsistent performances with the bat and awful captaincy drew cynical remarks from his critics. That he was going wicket-less for most of the matches didn’t help either. The result was that Mathews handed over the captaincy to Aaron Finch before things got worse and restricted himself to his all-rounder’s role in the squad. He finished a forgettable tournament with a mere five wickets at an economy of 7.74, and 172 runs with the bat. It, thus, wasn’t a surprise that Pune Warriors ended their season as disastrously as the earlier one. After all, as they say: A captain is as good as his team!
There were a couple of more contenders, in the forms of Jacques Kallis and Cameron White, but considering the impact that their failures had on the tournament, I felt like sticking to the above five.
